Delaware Apple store sells more iPhones than any other in the US

Apple's Christiana Mall outlet is said to be second only to the company's flagship Fifth Avenue store when it comes to sales volume, despite being located in one of America's least populated states.

Apple's Christiana Mall store in Delaware

Employees at the Newark, Del., Apple store toldABC News that the shop -- located in a 39-year-old, single-story mall -- sells "more iPhones than anyone." Apple does not break out sales numbers per store, and an Apple spokesperson declined to provide the news channel with any additional information.

Hinting at a competitive streak within Apple's retail empire, employees noted that while the company's Fifth Avenue flagship --which they called "the glass box on Manhattan's Fifth Avenue" -- outpaces the mall store in revenue, it falls behind the smaller outlet in iPhone sales.

The Christiana Mall store, Apple's only first-party retail store in Delaware, benefits from a unique geographic positioning. Delaware charges no state sales tax, and the mall is a relatively quick jaunt on Interstate 95 from neighboring tax-charging states like Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New York. The Christiana Mall store attracts out-of-state shoppers thanks to Delaware's nonexistent sales taxNew York's sales tax rate of 8.875 percent would raise the price of a base model iPad Air from $499 to $543, for instance. While the savings may not be substantial enough to warrant a single customer driving in their car, it does present a tantalizing opportunity for those making group voyages or for foreign buyers who want to resell Apple devices in countries where they command much higher prices.

While Apple generally limits the number of devices a single customer can purchase, one store staffer told ABC News that some customers have bought hundreds of iPhones at a time for resale. The manager of another store in the mall confirmed that shoppers often arrive at the store in chartered buses that he says feature New York registration.

The store is so popular that Apple reportedly eschews their usual practice of hiring private, Apple-uniformed security guards and instead contracts off-duty officers from the Delaware Highway Patrol. Anywhere from four to ten troopers work the store at a time, with their numbers growing during popular product launches or shopping occasions like Black Friday.

The Christiana Mall store was among Apple's first retail stores, opening its doors in 2004. It has since undergone two expansions and occupies approximately 10,000 square feet in its current incarnation, according toDelaware Business Daily.

Tax free and freeway access to PA, NJ, MD creates huge volumes of people during the Christmas season. They are adding many stores there also. Construction is huge there. Cabela's being one of the anchor stores opening up.

This is Apple's second location within Christiana as they outgrow the first.

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bought hundreds of iPhones at a time for resale.

This I doubt.

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The store is so popular that Apple reportedly eschews their usual practice of hiring private, Apple-uniformed security guards and instead contracts off-duty officers from the Delaware Highway Patrol.

I live about 10 miles from there, and am the corporate buyer for my org. The DE State Police (not highway patrol) are the ones that staff security, and it's more like 1-3 on duty at a time. 3 being during holiday times.

There used to be "bus tours"" of Asians from NYC that would all wait in line to buy 2 iphones a day, every day, 7 days a week. There'd be a line of 100-300 every day, for about a year straight. Store employees told me they would start at the Christiana store in the AM, then hit 2 more or so on the way back to NYC, each day, hitting each store for the limit-2 amount.

2-3 months ago, I was picking up some new hardware for work, and I personally witnessed an Indian dude next to me buying a brick of 25 iPhone 5's. My sales guy told me they were highest config, and that brick was something like $20,000 worth. Said the guy came in once a week and bought a brick for like the past month and change.

I don't know what one of the smallest states has to do with this as AppleInsider commented. New Castle County has more than a half million residents and is practically a suburb of Philadelphia anyway. Christiana is a large and very busy mall which certainly attracts a lot of out-of-state shopper, too, due to no sales tax. I've bought a few things at that Apple store as much of my family lives right there.

I worked at this Apple Store back when the original iPhone came out. I can confirm we sold a shitload of iPhones. Chartered buses full of Chinese/Asian people would come in and all buy the limit per person we had at the time, which was 5. Back then the store was located in a smaller space so the place would be [B]packed.[/B] There were days where I did nothing but sell iPhone the entire time. Some days I alone would sell over $400,000 dollars worth of iPhones on my 8 hour shift. Days like that made me wish we worked on commission.

I worked at this Apple Store back when the original iPhone came out. I can confirm we sold a shitload of iPhones. Chartered busses full of Chinese/Asian people would come in and all buy the limit per person we had at the time, which was 5. Back then the store was located in a smaller space so the place would be packed. There were days where I did nothing but sell iPhone the entire time. Some days I alone would sell over $400,000 dollars worth of iPhones on my 8 hour shift. Days like that made me wish we worked on commission.

Remember at that time you could only pay by CC not cash do to grey market.

Remember at that time you could only pay by CC not cash do to grey market.

Our GM opened a loop hole for this. They allowed them to purchase gift cards with cash, and then purchase the iPhones with the gift cards so that we technically weren't violating corporate policy.

At the very beginning though you are right, they were super strict about all the sales. We used to also require a valid US issued ID. I remember one time a guy from New York came on a bus to legitimately buy one for himself but he had forgotten his ID and the assistant manager refused to make an exception for him. The guy was furious. That manager was a huge prick and I think he did it just because he could.

Our GM opened a loop hole for this. They allowed them to purchase gift cards with cash, and then purchase the iPhones with the gift cards so that we technically weren't violating corporate policy.

At the very beginning though you are right, they were super strict about all the sales. We used to also require a valid US issued ID. I remember one time a guy from New York came on a bus to legitimately buy one for himself but he had forgotten his ID and the assistant manager refused to make an exception for him. The guy was furious. That manager was a huge prick and I think he did it just because he could.

Ha, the loophole. Smart people will always find ways to make commerce.

Ha, the loophole. Smart people will always find ways to make commerce.

Yes, I forgot the ID thing.

To be honest I can't believe no one ever tried to rob us back when they were purchasing the gift cards with cash. Some days there was easily $5-$10 million in cash in the store. It got picked up by armored courier.

To be honest I can't believe no one ever tried to rob us back when they were purchasing the gift cards with cash. Some days there was easily $5-$10 million in cash in the store. It got picked up by armored courier.

Right! I know quite a bit of theft of phones were going on. I'm fuzzy on this, but wasn't your store robbed of gen 1 iPhones?

Right! I know quite a bit of theft of phones were going on. I'm fuzzy on this, but wasn't your store robbed of gen 1 iPhones?

I started in fall 2007. It's possible it happened before I was there but I don't ever recall that happening while I was there.

The worst theft I can remember was the time someone walked through the door the back of house area and stole a MacBook Pro someone had purchased that we were holding for them while they were doing the rest of their shopping in the mall (this was a pretty common thing we did for people). Even though they were not wearing Apple gear it was easy for anyone who saw him back there to assume he was someone interviewing for a job because the hallway were we held stuff for people lead to the managers office and wasn't anywhere near the inventory area.

Hmmmm...I guess NYC is not that far from Del. Might be worth taking a trip down to Del. In my hybrid to make it really worth it.:)

Hop on the turnpike and you'll be there in no time. They have a great staff too. My girlfriends cousin works there...I'd tell you his name to ask for him but I'd worry corporate might see it somehow and break his balls about it. He just let me use his employee only 25% discount to buy a new retina MacBook Pro. Not to mention all the other great stores in the mall so you could get some shopping done. You could get your Christmas shopping done while you're there, tax free. You could bring your girlfriend/wife since they have a Nordstrom's, urban outfitters, Anthropologie, etc. there too.

Be warned though, the mall manager in the ABC article is right about the parking. 6,500 spaces and they're always full. I used to work at the Gap and then later the Apple store when I was in college at the University of Delaware about 5-10 minutes away and during the Christmas shopping season I used to have to make sure I got there an extra 20-30 minutes early just to find a parking spot.

Delaware is a good state to live in and the people are very friendly. Joe Biden is also from there which counts quite a bit.

Lower Delaware, but Newark is way too crowded. Too much influx from NY, PA, NJ which is killing the 'hometown' feeling. UofD buying all the old houses and redoing them is nice. I visit every couple years, but won't ever live there again. I did not realize just how far away everything is from everything else until I moved.

Joe is an complete ass and his wife is no better. Elites of the highest order!